Yen Pox is one of
the most respected and best known dark ambient acts from
America, all the more if you put an emphasis on the "dark" part of the
genre. And if one half of this act had already delivered a
solo CD, under the name of Bloodbox, Steve Hall, the other
member, had still to offer something of his own.
"Veil of Secrecy" is indeed Hall's first solo
effort, released on Law's label Triumvirate. And from the
very first moments of "An Angel's Last Breath", the
listener understands where he is dwelling: dark echoes, reverberated
distant beats and bass filled windy atmospheres: welcome
to another incarnation of calm darkness put into sound.
With its huge, encompassing tones and its very long
tracks, this album builds up rather slowly a brooding and
chilling setting, in which one is surrounded by a rather
low and very solemn atmosphere, while smaller and creepy
sounds bursts from time to time, as a sudden changes in a
movie would do. And in fact, this "Veil of Secrecy"
sounds very sound-trackish. Whatever you think of "The
Blair Witch Project", the sound of this CD is more or less
what you could have expected to hear if you had been living
the story of this film. This music has no landmarks, no
lights and no plans, made up only of massive tones. Not as
drone-oriented as Bloodbox, this CD is thicker and fuller.
"Long" and calm as Yen Pox can get, it however features
on more or less all of the tracks some echoed percussions,
not in a rhythmic, but rather in a disturbing way. The big
influence here seems to be Lustmord's "Monstrous
Soul", and V.O.S goes all the way to give you the
creeps while filling your room to the core with basses, oscillations
(for example on "Throne to the Dogs") and cold atmospheres.
If the Bloodbox CD had received raving reviews when it was
released, I personally think that this CD by V.O.S. is more
addictive and, most of all, far better produced and recorded.
Part of a scene that features other talents like Wilt or
Monstrare, V.O.S. signs here a really good debut album.
And even those of you who don't like to put bands into
genres will have to agree: this is ambient and (very) dark.
And, this one is a good one; I'm quite impressed with the
catchiness, or let's say the efficiency of it all.
~ Recycle Your Ears
9/10
Five lengthy tracks of absolutely stunning, dismal ambience, the shortest of
which is more than five minutes, with the average track running just under the
10-minute mark. Opener, "An Angel's Last Breath" is a spacious, slow
moving composition complete with low synth tones and distant noises. The levels
of depth within the mix are incredible, it really feels as if certain sounds are
surrounding you, while others lurk far off in the barely audible distance.
Towards the middle of the track things become more constant, with a subtle,
industrial type of hum rumbling to and fro in the background while things
gradually take an even more sinister turn as the piece comes to a close.
"Throne to the Dogs" is similar in its use of space and depth. This
time the tones harness more bass and the layering is more minimal, yet still
highly effective. Fluttering tones swirl from side to side, cutting in and out
with fading volume levels and stereo effects. "Ruling Hand of Snakes"
introduces some piano and some louder bursts of distorted feedback tones (used
relatively infrequently). Again the central layers are fairly constant
throughout the piece, with a few
additions/subtractions of sound as things carry on. "Cold Embrace"
certainly jumps out as a starkly more active piece: Louder, busier, though not
abrasive. Deep tones engulf various random sounds and a treble heavy loop,
creating a mysterious blend of tones that give off the illusion of elements that
probably don't actually exist within the track. And finally, "Coronation of
Jackals" utilizes a calmly pulsating synth loop with some orchestral types
of foreground tones - adding a more musical direction not apparent from the
other four selections. The simplistic structures and
minimal nature of most of the compositions definitely works in favor of the
longer lengths. Though often rather repetitive the listen is very smooth and
flows well, never boring or overbearing. Of course the recording is pristine,
absolute clarity and perfect symmetry across the board. The layout reflects the
minimal nature of the sounds, a few semi-abstract landscape images, the bare
necessities of text, etc. All in all this is an exceptional release, yet another
bright light in the Triumvirate catalog. Highly recommended.
~ Aversionline
rated 4 of a
possible 5
Steven Hall and Michael
J.V. Hensley have been working together as Yen Pox since the early 90s. Hensley
has also worked alone as Blood Box on the side, and now Hall has splintered off
and found a similar solo outlet with the creation of V.O.S. Many of the same
traits that define Yen Pox's pitch black, haunting soundscapes have spilled over
into this new project. Slow paced, grinding sheets of sound hover over dark
vibrations, intoned with cold, metallic scraping that stews together in a
reverberating, expansive landscape of ambient noise. The repetition is soothing
and hypnotic, as mysterious masses of thick tonality envelope odd, distant
noises that invoke a bleak, industrial landscape thriving with the slight hum of
engines and the muffled throes of machinery. The only attempt at traditional
melody can be heard on the final track, "Coronation of Jackals", with
a thick, heavy synth loop slowly sawing into a bed of deeper drones. Seeing as
how Yen Pox has released only two albums over the past six years, this new
project from Hall is exactly what the good doctor prescribed to tide everyone
over.
~ Ben Didier (Outburn)
Again, the heavy noise-mongers at Triumverate are creeping into subtler states of dark ambient soundscapes... V.O.S. churns up five pleasantly dismal pools of midnight murk hidden behind their Veil of Secrecy.
Vaporous currents and rippling bass notes mark the final gasps of An Angel's Last Breath (10:57); feedback-like tendrils and cavernous reverberations sear through these menacing airwaves. Deeply elongated expanses rumble beneath more-mechanical Throne to the Dogs, enhanced by sparse, trepidation-inducing echoes. Brewing and boiling like an oncoming radiation storm, the drones of Ruling Hand of Snakes are injected with sinuous streamers and low, clunky piano occurences. Brooding tonal progressions give Coronation of Jackals (5:30) the only truly "musical" passages, underscored by lurking energies.
At almost-43 minutes, Veil of Secrecy runs a mite short, but effectively releases the foul atmospheres of V.O.S., ominous, yet morbidly inviting if you're in the mood for darkness. If you're dreaming of semi-comfortable zones of darkness, this 8.6 disc will enshroud you in its mysteries.
~ David J Opdyke (AmbiEntrance)
Steven Hall of Yen Pox is back with a project that picks up right where
that long-lost monolith quit. Veil Of Secrecy is a complete full circle trek
into dark-ambient industrial drift, drones and triumphant slave-drum touches. In
the tradition of early Lustmord, a close kin to Asmorod, Lull and Amon, and of
course, the best comparison is Yen Pox. Five very long tracks explore themes
with exquisite precision of time, timing and rhythm. The drift is grey and
murky, thick haze, flowing and swelling like the sides of some leviathan beast.
Around the time the last track hits; "Coronation Of Jackals", we are
center stage at some arcane moment in the deep, haunted woods. I played this
record twice in a row even though I had a stack of other things I needed to
review that day. Excellent! Highly recommended for those of you that liked my
recent recommendations for Sator Absentia, Sleep Research Facility or Aarktika.
~
Vince Harrigan -Mainfold
"Subsnow 02-02"
This album was produced in
conjunction with Tarmvred's North American "Subsnow" tour, and
features Tarmvred as well as a host of other acts, most (or all? I think?) of
whom he played live with on this tour. It's a very strong compilation with only
a few weak tracks throughout, and would make an excellent purchase for
industrial/electronic/IDM/whatever fans. The star of this compilation is
Tarmvred, who contributes two excellent tracks: "Subsnow" and
"Drifter," both of which are great tracks, but not as cool as those on
Subfusc simply because they're shorter and SIDstation-less. Oh well... I was
very pleasantly surprised by Antigen Shift, whose track "Epoch" was a
nice electronic-tribal thingie which was very entertaining. Same with V.O.S.,
who contribute an excellent dark ambient skull-f*ck piece that, like all good
dark ambient tracks, seems to just swallow you whole. Wilt's tracks are
interesting, and sound somewhat like an intergalactic space-rat trying to nibble
and claw its way through your bedroom walls. (No drugs were used in the
listening of this album or the writing of this review.) I was disappointed,
however, by Kreptkrept, Re:pro vs. Acclimate, and C2, who all contribute
substandard beaty-industro-techno-type tracks that failed to catch my ear. A
well-rounded compilation, however, and definitely something to keep an eye out
for.
~ Chris Zaldua - Brainwashed